Fibromyalgia and Social Security Disability Benefits

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that is characterized by extreme fatigue, muscle pain, and joint soreness. Symptoms can range from slight tenderness to extreme pain, and may affect mood, bowel function, sleep patterns, and other body functions. More common in women, Fibromyalgia can impede daily activities and dramatically reduce your ability to perform even simple tasks. Thankfully, fibromyalgia symptoms do not typically progress over time.

Why Fibromyalgia is Debilitating

People with fibromyalgia must deal with the fact that a long-term solution may simply not be possible, and that pain management must be used to control symptoms. This condition can be extremely limiting due to the following effects of the disease:

•Pain – Fibromyalgia can cause pain, tenderness, and stiffness in the head, back, chest, hips, knees, and face. Headaches and TMJ (temporomandibular joint disorder) are also common in fibromyalgia sufferers.
•Sleep disturbances – The disease can cause disturbances in healthy sleep patterns, preventing restorative sleep, leading to sleep disorders, and creating daytime fatigue. Muscle spasms and restless leg syndrome are also associated with fibromyalgia.
•Fatigue – Fighting daily pain and wrestling with sleep abnormalities can cause fibromyalgia patients to exhibit signs of fatigue, including lack of energy, shortness of breath, loss of strength, and stress.
•Bowel problems – Patients with fibromyalgia often develop irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which can cause severe abdominal and digestive problems.
•Depression and mood problems ­– Fibromyalgia patients often experience increased sensitivity, mood swings, anxiety, and loss of concentration.

Causes of Fibromyalgia

No definitive cause for fibromyalgia has been identified, yet. However, some researchers and medical professionals believe that the fibromyalgia condition can be explained by "central sensitization,” a theory which suggests that patients suffer from an enhanced sensitivity to pain signals due to altered brain chemistry from repeated nerve stimulation. Other potential factors in the development of fibromyalgia include sleep disturbances, infection, traumatic injury, stress, hormonal changes, and nervous system abnormalities.

Fibromyalgia Treatments

The fibromyalgia treatments currently available include lifestyle and behavioral therapies, pain management, stress relief and relaxation techniques, and prescription medication, including antidepressants, muscle relaxants, and pain medication. Treatment for sleep disturbances may also help patients fight symptoms of fatigue.

For more information on this disease, please visit WebMD’s Fibromyalgia/CFIDS Heath Center.

If you are fighting to get the Social Security benefits you deserve after being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, The Cochran Firm would like to represent you in your pursuit of justice. The Cochran Firm has been profiled as one of America's top plaintiffs' law firms, and we would be honored to stand up for and your family. Please contact The Cochran Firm today for a free Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) case review.

The Cochran Firm handles claims for clients throughout the United States of America. Please contact The Cochran Firm today to schedule a free Social Security disability review.